Written Answers Friday 22 September 2006

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision will be taken in respect of the single farm payment modulation rates to be applied from 2007.

Ross Finnie: A decision can only be taken once the rules for voluntary modulation are agreed.

Agriculture

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there should be the capability for setting different single farm payment modulation rates within the United Kingdom.

Ross Finnie: Yes. Under existing arrangements, different rates of voluntary modulation can apply in each part of the UK. We want to continue with these arrangements, as do other parts of the UK.

Agriculture

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scotland will be able to set its own single farm payment modulation rate within the Scottish Rural Development Plan.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the European Commission has yet determined whether there can be different single farm payment modulation rates within a member state.

Ross Finnie: The draft voluntary modulation regulation currently allows for only one rate of voluntary modulation per member state. This is a point being pursued with the European Commission and other member states as negotiations progress.

Agriculture

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will oppose the proposal by the UK Government to exercise the option of setting a 20% single farm payment modulation rate.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out any analysis of the impact of a single farm payment modulation rate of 20%, as proposed by the UK Government.

Ross Finnie: The UK Government has not proposed a 20% rate of voluntary modulation. This is the maximum rate permitted under the current arrangements as set out in Regulation 1259/1999 which first introduced voluntary modulation and the maximum rate that was agreed by all member states in voluntary modulation proposals put forward during the December budget negotiations.

Agriculture

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commit to match funding modulation under the single farm payment scheme.

Ross Finnie: All financial decisions relating to the budget for the next Rural Development Programme are dependent on the arrangements for voluntary modulation and these are not yet known.

Building Standards

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any research into on-site compliance with energy standards in building regulations in Scotland and whether it is aware of the Building Research Establishment report, Assessment of energy efficiency impact of Building Regulations compliance, which surveyed new buildings in England in 2004 and found that 43% of new houses surveyed did not meet energy standards in building regulations.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows:

  
I am not aware of any recent research that indicates non-compliance with the current energy standards in Scottish building regulations. I am however aware of the Building Research Establishment Report which deals with compliance issues in England and Wales.

Building Standards

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commission research into on-site compliance with energy standards in building regulations.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows:

  
No. There is a recent report on the English and Welsh energy regulations, carried out by Future Energy Solutions entitled Compliance with Part L1 of the 2002 Building Regulations (An investigation into the reasons for poor compliance) which was commissioned by ‘The Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes’. In this report it is stated "It is perceived that the Scottish system is far more successful than the England and Wales system. There are two key differences:

the Building Warrant Certificate issues prior to building commencement, and
that all Building Control officers are still attached to the Local Authorities."



  The report then recommends that this approach is adopted for England and Wales.

Building Standards

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require, as part of its current review of section 6 of building regulations, compulsory random air-tightness testing of all new buildings to ascertain on-site compliance with energy standards in building regulations and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows:

  
There are no proposals for compulsory testing. The recent Scottish building regulations consultation did not involve a review of procedures, it was solely on the standards and technical guidance. A comprehensive review of procedures was undertaken in 2003. However, the recent public consultation on energy standards in Scottish building regulations proposed guidance on airtightness testing of new buildings. Relatively few respondees objected to these proposals. Decisions still have to be made on whether or not these proposals are taken forward when changes are made to the energy standards in 2007.

Climate Change

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated total levels of CO 2  emissions have been in (a) Dundee, (b) Angus and (c) Aberdeenshire in the last year for which information is available.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated total levels of CO2 emissions from domestic sources per head of population have been in (a) Dundee, (b) Angus and (c) Aberdeenshire in the last year for which information is available.

Ross Finnie: Estimated levels of carbon dioxide emissions for 2003 at local authority and regional level are available in a report entitled Local and Regional CO 2  Emissions Estimates for 2003  produced for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). These experimental statistics present estimated emissions in a number of different ways, including totals by area, by sector and per capita.

  A copy of the report is available on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/.

Cycling

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are currently being taken to encourage children to cycle to school and to lessen school run congestion.

Tavish Scott: Local authorities will receive £8.8 million this year and over £9 million next year for Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets projects, and £11.3 million and £11.6 million this and next year to implement 20mph schemes around schools making the local environment safer for those choosing to walk or cycle to school. We currently provides funding of £1.24 million for the School Travel Coordinator programme to promote active travel options, including cycling, for school children and to increase the proportion of non-car based travel associated with school run congestion. All local authorities have a least one school travel coordinator working with schools in their areas.

  We also provide core funding of £400,000 to Cycling Scotland to promote the benefits of cycling, not just for leisure purposes but also as a travel option, and to run a training programme for those who deliver cycle training in schools. Cycle training is offered to all P6 and P7 pupils throughout Scotland and is designed to provide pupils with the skills and knowledge needed to cycle safely on the road.

  In June this year, I announced a funding package of £8 million to Sustrans over this and the next financial year to upgrade and expand the National Cycle Network, focussing on building links to schools and increasing connectivity between home and school. I have also identified funding of £10 million for measures to tackle the school run and will be announcing how this will be spent in due course.

  All of the above measures will provide pupils, parents and carers, who would otherwise travel to school by car, with a realistic option for travelling to school by bike.

Deaf and Hearing Impaired People

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to Scottish organisations working with deaf people in respect of issues regarding new interpretations of the guidelines for the Access to Work scheme.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to the Department for Work and Pensions’ Access to Work programme which is delivered in Scotland by Jobcentre Plus.

Education

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many exclusions from schools have been imposed for racist bullying since 2002.

Peter Peacock: Statistics specifically on the number of exclusions relating to racist bullying are not collected. However, statistics are collected on the number of exclusions where race has been a motivating factor. These are available from:

  
2002-03
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/02/18912/33196.
2003-04
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/36496/0029072.pdf.
2004-05
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/01/30144545/0.

Environment

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates since January 2004 it has (a) met, (b) written to or (c) received correspondence from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss applications to the European Union to import or cultivate genetically modified organisms, including crops, foods, feeds and non-food products, including pharmaceutical crops and biofuels, and whether it will place copies of all correspondence in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Rhona Brankin: We have regular discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on a range of issues including applications to import or cultivate genetically modified crops.

  Since 2004, applications for the approval of genetically modified feed and food have been considered under the genetically modified Food and Feed Regulation (1829/2003). The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the UK competent authority for this regulation.

  For applications considered under the Deliberate Release Directive 2001/18/EC, the agreed UK assessments and opinions on applications for the potential import and cultivation of GM crops, which develop from discussions with Defra and the other Devolved Administrations, are published on Defra’s website at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/regulation/registers.htm on behalf of the joint UK competent authority. Applications for the approval of GM crops for non-food use will continue to be considered under this Directive.

Environment

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the proposal to transfer sole responsibility for the compilation of An Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes to Historic Scotland , what measures will be taken to ensure the continued availability of grants for landowners towards the compilation of management plans for historic designed landscapes, which have until now been allocated by Scottish Natural Heritage, and whether specific provision for this will be made within Historic Scotland’s budget.

Patricia Ferguson: The detailed arrangements for the transfer of responsibilities in this area from Scottish Natural Heritage to Historic Scotland, including future grants arrangements, are still under consideration. The transfer is not due to take place until 2008-09.

Environment

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive why it proposes in paragraphs 2.20 and 2.21 of Scottish Historic Environment Policy 3: Gardens and Designed Landscapes to remove the major responsibility for designed landscapes from Scottish Natural Heritage, given that the October 2005 concordat between Historic Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage acknowledges the need for a more integrated approach to the conservation and management of Scotland’s historic environment.

Patricia Ferguson: The proposal comes from a recommendation in a Strategic Review of Scottish Natural Heritage  (SNH) published in July 2005. The review commented that there are strong links between natural and cultural heritage but that designed landscapes constitute a relatively specialised area of work relating to historic, man-made and cultivated areas which is not in the main stream of SNH work. Historic Scotland concurs with this view. Indeed the transfer of full responsibility for statutory advice on such sites to Historic Scotland will offer benefits of match with main remit and a simplification of consultation requirements for local authorities.

  Historic Scotland will take an integrated approach to the natural and cultural heritage interests found on these sites and will work closely with SNH where there are natural heritage interests.

Environmental Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-27562 and S2O-10418 by Lewis Macdonald and Mr Andy Kerr on 21 August and 7 September 2006 respectively, what anecdotal evidence it has of instances of increased noise outside some licensed premises.

Lewis Macdonald: Anecdotal evidence is not collected centrally. We have asked the Royal Environmental Health Institute (REHIS) to keep this issue under review.

Firearms

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many firearms certificates have been revoked in each police force area in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table.

  Revocations1 of Firearms Certificates by Police Force Area, 1999 to 2005

  

Police Force
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


Central
5
3
2
6
4
2
4


Dumfries and Galloway
1
4
0
3
4
5
3


Fife2
7
7
10
7
3
2
na


Grampian
14
4
8
4
2
4
2


Lothian and Borders
6
7
9
7
7
5
4


Northern
14
9
10
4
9
7
5


Strathclyde
17
9
1
6
2
6
9


Tayside
10
5
4
11
3
6
3


Total
74
48
44
48
34
37
30



  Notes:

  1. Revocations are at the authority of the chief constable in instances where it is believed the holder should no longer be allowed to possess a firearm.

  2. Fife were unable to supply data for 2005; total for 2005 excludes Fife.

Firearms

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many shotgun certificates were revoked in each police force area in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table.

  Revocations1 of Shotgun Certificates by Police Force Area, 1999 to 2005

  

Police Force
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


Central
14
11
7
13
14
4
6


Dumfries and Galloway
7
9
8
8
7
6
4


Fife2
19
12
16
9
6
6
na


Grampian
27
7
10
4
5
12
5


Lothian and Borders
16
13
15
9
15
11
12


Northern
18
13
11
6
16
10
4


Strathclyde
50
26
5
12
9
20
17


Tayside
24
11
9
6
6
14
6


Total
175
102
81
67
78
83
54



  Notes:

  1. Revocations are at the authority of the chief constable in instances where it is believed the holder should no longer be allowed to possess a shotgun.

  2. Fife were unable to supply data for 2005; total for 2005 excludes Fife.

Firearms

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents at which armed police have attended have resulted in officers discharging their firearms in each year since 1999, broken down by police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: The deployment of firearms is an operational matter for chief constables. The following table gives information provided by forces for the number of incidents where firearms have been discharged.

  

Police Force
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06


Central Scotland
3
3
2
4
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
0
1
2
0
1
1
0


Fife
0
0
1
0
0
0
0


Grampian
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Lothian and Borders
0
0
2
1
1
1
1


Northern
0
0
0
1
0
0
0


Strathclyde
0
0
0
0
3
1
5


Tayside
0
0
0
0
0
0
0



  Source: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.

Firearms

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many illegal firearms have been recovered in each year since 1999, broken down by police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Fly-Tipping

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers are available to the police to deal with fly-tippers who dump rubbish on private property.

Ross Finnie: Fly-tippers can be arrested and face a penalty on summary conviction of up to £40,000 or six months imprisonment, or both, and on indictment of an unlimited fine and/or two years imprisonment (five years in the case of hazardous waste). Following the introduction of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, the police have the power to issue £50 fixed penalty fines to those caught fly-tipping.

  In addition any constable has the power to stop and seize a vehicle where a warrant has been issued on suspicion of that vehicle being involved in the illegal disposal of waste.

Football

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding (a) the Executive, (b) the Scottish Football Association (SFA), (c) local authorities and (d) other sources agreed to put into football’s Youth Development Plan and how much each body has contributed so far.

Patricia Ferguson: The £31.1 million to the Youth Football Action Plan is being funded by Exchequer and Lottery Sports Fund monies (£2.2 million); New Opportunities Fund/Big Lottery Fund Monies (£10 million); the SFA (£14.5 million), and local authorities (£4.4 million).

  We do not hold up-to-date information on payments made but I have asked sportscotland to write to you setting out the details of the Exchequer and Lottery monies. You should approach the SFA and local authorities direct on what payments they have made so far for this plan.

Fuel Poverty

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates it has met each major electricity and gas supplier to express concern about the impact on low income households of additional tariffs on prepayment meters and record rises in energy bills in each year since 2003.

Malcolm Chisholm: Officials met with representatives of each of the main suppliers in December 2003 to discuss debt and disconnections and fuel price rises. I met with Ian Marchant Chief Executive of Scottish and Southern Energy on 17 January 2005 and on 14 September 2006; with Jim Needham, Director, Scottish Gas on 7 September 2005 and 14 September 2006, and with Charles Berry, then Executive Director UK, Scottish Power on 23 February 2004 and on 9 December 2004, and will meet with Philip Bowman Chief Executive of Scottish Power on 22 November 2006.

Fuel Poverty

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has estimated the cost to the NHS, local authorities and other related support services of dealing with vulnerable groups who are in fuel poverty.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have not made these calculations and it would be impractical to do so.

Genetically Modified Food

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of the possible impact on the Scottish food supply of contamination of conventional maize seed lots with genetically modified seeds in Slovenia and, if so, what information it has on (a) from where these seeds were imported, (b) the levels of contamination from maize lines Mon810 and Bt11 and (c) the source of the unlicensed Bt11 maize.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has not made any specific assessment in relation to this reported contamination since the two maize varieties concerned are not relevant to UK agriculture, however, maize lines Mon810 and Bt11 are already authorised for import and processing as food and feed and therefore there are no safety implications for food supply.

  The Slovenian report names France and Canada as the countries of origin of the affected batches of "PR38F10 and PR37H24" respectively. The tests were qualitative assays and so the level of GM presence was not determined. We have no information on the source of the Bt11 maize contamination.

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is progressing with implementing the recommendations of Chronic Pain Services in Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: Responsibility for implementing these recommendations rests primarily with NHS boards, based on their assessment of local needs. The Executive has encouraged them to implement the recommendations, in the light of the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland Best Practice Statement on the management of chronic pain in adults published in March 2006.

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27870 by Mr Andy Kerr on 11 September 2006, how many pain clinics there are in each NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested has been obtained from NHS boards and is given in the following table. Numbers refer to the number of sites on which a chronic pain service is delivered.

  

NHS Board
Number of Pain Clinics


Ayrshire and Arran
2


Borders
1


Dumfries and Galloway
1


Fife
1


Forth Valley
2


Grampian
2


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
5


Highland
*3


Lanarkshire
3


Lothian
2


Orkney
1


Shetland
1


Tayside
3


Western Isles
1



  Note: *NHS Highland also has service level agreements with NHS Grampian and Tayside which allow it refer people to a pain clinic operated by these boards.

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it interprets the recommendation of the Kerr report that effective long-term condition management should be based on a generic approach geared to the management of the totality of a person’s needs, in the community and without hospitalisation wherever possible, and how this is implemented to provide adequate chronic pain self-management programmes.

Mr Andy Kerr: Delivering for Health set out the Executive’s response to the Kerr Report’s recommendations on the effective management of long term conditions. This includes the development of the Community Health Partnership Toolkit, a mandatory self-assessment tool which will enable each CHP to determine how responsive services are to the totality of the needs of those with a long term condition, which we would interpret as including chronic pain. The content of the Toolkit is currently out for consultation, and the Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland has been included in order to give generic comments from the perspective of those with long term conditions.

  Self-management is also an essential element of the long term condition management model, and the Executive is providing funding to two organisations who are developing self management strategies for people with chronic pain. Developing self-management initiatives is also an important focus of the work of the Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland.

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to submit a response to Discussion Paper on the setting of maximum and minimum amounts for vitamins and minerals in foodstuffs, issued by the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have co-ordinated a UK-wide response to the discussion paper, taking views from a wide range of interested parties. The FSA board hosted an open meeting on 21 September to consider the Commission’s discussion paper. I wrote to Caroline Flint MP, Minister of State for Health, indicating I was content with this approach and the FSA recognised the need to build Scottish concerns into the final response.

Health and Safety

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many accidents were recorded on construction sites in (a) the Scottish Borders and (b) Scotland in each year since 1999.

Allan Wilson: This information is not held by the Scottish Executive. The regulation of health and safety at work in Great Britain, including within the construction industry, and the publication of related statistics, is a matter for the Health and Safety Commission and Executive. However, my officials have been able to obtain the following information from the Health and Safety Executive showing accidents reported in the construction industry since 1999.

  Scottish Borders

  

Year
Fatal Injuries
Major Injuries*
Over-3-Day Injuries**


1999
0
8
14


2000
0
5
17


2001
0
7
9


2002
0
5
21


2003
0
6
9


2004
0
7
9


2005
0
12
6



  Scotland

  

Year
Fatal Injuries
Major Injuries
Over-3-Day Injuries


1999
7
594
1,347


2000
13
549
1,393


2001
13
647
1,343


2002
13
537
1,116


2003
11
512
1,047


2004
4
498
876


2005
11
486
802



  Notes:

  *Reportable "major injuries" include: fracture other than to fingers, thumbs or toes; amputation; temporary or permanent loss of sight; injury resulting from an electrical shock or burn leading to unconsciousness or requiring resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours, and any other injury leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or unconsciousness; or requiring resuscitation; or requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours.

  **An "over-three-day injury" is one which is not major but results in the injured person being away from work or unable to do the full range of their normal duties for more than three days, not counting the day of the injury itself.

Health and Safety

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents were recorded by accident and emergency units to have taken place in the home in (a) the Scottish Borders and (b) Scotland in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: Data held centrally on patients treated in accident and emergency units does not allow the identification of the place where the injury occurred.

  However, information is available for patients who are subsequently admitted to hospital as an emergency in-patient as a result of their injury. This is shown in the following table for years ending 31 March 1999 to 31 March 2005.

  Table 1: Emergency Hospital Admissions1,2 as a Result of an Unintentional Injury, which has Occurred in the Home3 - All Ages, by Area of Residence, Year Ending 31 March

  

Numbers
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


Scotland
19,869
18,809
17,962
17,968
17,325
16,807
16,632


NHS Borders
423
523
553
517
442
461
493


Standardised Discharge Rate4
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Scotland
341.0
326.4
312.5
311.0
296.2
286.2
279.3


NHS Borders
308.4
384.5
381.9
366.8
300.8
307.5
321.5



  Notes:

  1. SMR01 data are derived from in-patient and day case discharge summaries from non-obstetric, non-psychiatric specialties in general acute NHS hospitals in Scotland.

  2. Figures are based on episodes of care. Each episode is initiated by an admission and is ended by a discharge. A patient with more than one episode of care in any one year or across years will be counted each time he/she receives an episode of care.

  3. SMR01 admission type code 33 – "Patient Injury - Home Accident (including accidental poisoning in the home)".

  4. Directly standardised using the European standard population.

Health and Safety

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many accidents were recorded on construction sites in East Lothian in each year since 1999.

Allan Wilson: This information is not held by the Scottish Executive. The regulation of health and safety at work in Great Britain, including within the construction industry, and the publication of related statistics, is a matter for the Health and Safety Commission and Executive. However, my officials have been able to obtain the following information from the Health and Safety Executive showing accidents recorded in the construction industry in East Lothian since 1999.

  East Lothian

  

Year
Fatal Injuries
Major Injuries*
Over-3-Day Injuries**


1999
0
9
18


2000
0
6
29


2001
1
5
22


2002
0
4
17


2003
0
4
16


2004
0
11
14


2005
0
11
14



  Notes:

  *Reportable "major injuries" include: fracture other than to fingers, thumbs or toes; amputation; temporary or permanent loss of sight; injury resulting from an electrical shock or burn leading to unconsciousness or requiring resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours, and any other injury leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or unconsciousness; or requiring resuscitation; or requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours.

  **An "over-three-day injury" is one which is not major but results in the injured person being away from work or unable to do the full range of their normal duties for more than three days, not counting the day of the injury itself.

Housing

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why there are no grant schemes available to assist householders seeking connection to the mains electricity supply.

Allan Wilson: Householders seeking connection to the mains electricity supply may be eligible for a housing improvement and repair grant from their by local authority if their house is deemed below the tolerable standard set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987. The tolerable standard includes a requirement for adequate lighting, heating, cooking facilities and hot water, all of which will require a source of power.

  Grants may be given to improve or replace an inadequate power supply. However, use of a generator may be more appropriate, for example in remote areas. It is unlikely that a grant would be given for connection to the mains when a generator in working order is in place.

Housing

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how Scotland compares with other nations in the British Isles in respect of household connection to the mains electricity supply and of subsidies for this.

Allan Wilson: Information on household connection in the UK to the mains electricity supply is not centrally recorded. Subsidies for household connection are determined and administered by individual local authorities across the UK. Information comparing subsidies at national level is not held centrally.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) lowest, (b) highest and (c) average discount has been granted to tenants who purchased their home through right to buy in each local authority area, expressed in monetary terms.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table contains the minimum, maximum and mean discounts granted between 1979 quarter 2 and 2006 quarter 1, to tenants who purchased their home through right to buy, broken down by local authority. Data are at 2006 prices.

  Discounts Granted to Tenants Purchasing their Home through Right-to-Buy – 2006 Prices

  

Local authority area
Right to Buy (Old terms)
Right to Buy (Modernised)


Mean (£)
Minimum (£)
Maximum (£)
Mean (£)
Minimum (£)
Maximum (£)


Scotland
22,533
23
179,145
13,114
1,574
20,971


Aberdeen City
27,398
62
76,517
14,436
9,189
15,735


Aberdeenshire
20,943
1,398
75,000
12,851
4,600
18,330


Angus
19,663
1,990
51,000
11,400
1,990
16,240


Argyll and Bute
22,418
3,590
63,000
13,497
10,647
15,315


Clackmannanshire
22,277
694
60,600
..
..
..


Dumfries and Galloway
18,538
222
44,924
12,016
9,808
15,315


Dundee City
22,688
1,533
63,000
12,870
6,984
15,315


East Ayrshire
18,816
2,949
64,200
11,987
6,126
19,465


East Dunbartonshire
26,495
1,512
108,000
14,428
11,250
15,315


East Lothian
27,669
860
114,000
15,273
15,000
15,735


East Renfrewshire
24,108
1,892
60,035
14,253
13,650
15,000


Edinburgh
27,384
298
156,213
13,345
7,279
15,315


Eilean Siar
17,131
1,504
42,770
9,336
9,336
9,336


Falkirk
21,244
1,296
110,250
12,596
7,000
15,315


Fife
18,960
23
93,000
13,014
4,302
15,735


Glasgow
26,582
781
99,548
13,804
1,574
15,735


Highland
20,101
806
78,311
13,732
8,076
20,971


Inverclyde
21,446
1,269
53,369
..
..
..


Midlothian
26,897
4,021
86,400
13,296
7,552
15,315


Moray
20,291
2,501
64,323
12,254
8,985
15,870


North Ayrshire
18,873
172
57,000
12,806
8,800
17,309


North Lanarkshire
21,450
93
179,145
12,993
7,200
15,315


Orkney
18,821
4,810
41,325
..
..
..


Perth and Kinross
21,850
3,942
66,500
13,561
8,985
15,735


Renfrewshire
24,099
590
58,100
12,635
6,412
15,735


Scottish Borders
19,170
1,630
73,500
12,938
8,686
15,540


Shetland
23,360
3,571
52,800
15,000
15,000
15,000


South Ayrshire
21,698
1,605
74,813
14,403
9,450
15,420


South Lanarkshire
22,204
1,080
61,200
12,509
1,888
15,735


Stirling
23,812
1,692
85,764
13,891
11,500
15,735


West Dunbartonshire
25,111
2,700
72,000
13,207
6,670
15,735


West Lothian
20,584
28
114,000
14,706
12,436
15,315



  Source: Scottish Executive Housing Statistics branch.

  Notes:

  - For this analysis, the amount of each discount was inflated to 2006 prices using the UK GDP deflator. The GDP deflator can be viewed as a measure of general inflation in the domestic economy.

  - Cases where no discount was granted have been excluded from the data.

  - Not applicable cells occur where no sales have taken place.

  - Modernised right to buy sales were introduced in 30 September 2002 and data collected separately for these sales from 2003 quarter two onwards.

Justice

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value has been of assets (a) applied for and (b) seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Colin Boyd QC: The question asks for details of sums applied for and seized. This terminology does not sit easily with the processes which are available under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. I have therefore given below the value of orders made under the various processes; confiscation order following conviction, forfeiture of cash, and civil recovery.

  An application for a confiscation order can only be made following conviction. In relation to the civil processes, an application for forfeiture of cash or for a recovery order will only be made following an extensive investigation during which Scottish ministers will have satisfied themselves that they can prove that the property is recoverable. Steps can be taken at an early stage under each of these processes to "freeze" assets to make them available to meet a subsequent confiscation, forfeiture, or recovery order.

  (a) The total value of Criminal Confiscation Orders made since the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 came into force is as follows:

  

2003-04
£1,484,795.85


2004-05
£1,347,599.02


2005-06
£3,466,739.48



  (b) The total amount of cash forfeited under section 298 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 since the Act came into force is as follows:

  

2003-04
£660,950.70


2004-05
£787,164.72


2005-06
£583,967.88



  (c) The total amount realised following the grant of recovery orders under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 since the act came into force is as follows:

  

2003-04
£23,986.29


2004-05
£203,407.93


2005-06
£761,602.23



  (d) Figures from the first half of the 2006 financial year will be published at the end of October 2006.

Livestock

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27675 by Ross Finnie on 29 August 2006, what bearing the decision to set aside the convictions referred to will have on those who, as a result of these convictions, also had penalties applied to their single farm payments for breaching subsidy guidelines.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27675 by Ross Finnie on 29 August 2006, what bearing the decision to set aside the convictions referred to will have on those who were wrongly convicted during the reference period for the single farm payment.

Ross Finnie: The interplay between European and domestic legislation is complicated as the former deals with penalties to be applied to support scheme payments in the event of non-compliance and the latter was intended to cover the enforcement powers. My officials are seeking further, detailed, legal advice to make clear if the circumstances that led to the convictions being set aside also means that any scheme penalties should also be set aside.

  If that advice, which is awaited, were that there is an undoubted read-across to support scheme payments, my officials would move to reverse any penalties applied to the producer’s single farm payment.

NHS Staff

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacant consultant posts were filled by locums on (a) 1 September 2005 and (b) 1 September 2006, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the number of vacant consultant posts is collated annually at 30 September. The following table provides information on vacant consultant posts by NHS board that were filled by a locum at 30 September 2005:

  

 
Total Vacancies
Vacancies Covered by a Locum


Yes
No


Scotland
300
108
192


Argyll and Clyde
36
18
18


Ayrshire and Arran
21
8
13


Borders
5
3
2


Dumfries and Galloway
17
4
13


Fife
28
10
18


Forth Valley
11
6
5


Grampian
14
3
11


Greater Glasgow
62
13
49


Highland
19
9
10


Lanarkshire
49
17
32


Lothian
18
3
15


Orkney
2
2
-


Tayside
11
5
6


Western Isles
7
7
-


Other 1
7
-
7



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Note: 1. "Other" vacancies:

  ISD Scotland (one vacancy).

  The State Hospital (three vacancies).

  Aberdeen and Northeast Scottish Donor Centre (one vacancy).

  Health Protection Scotland (one vacancy).

  September 2006 figures are not yet available.

NHS Waiting Times

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for patients before entering a methadone maintenance treatment programme in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Hugh Henry: Average waiting times are not regarded as a particularly effective measure of the availability and efficiency of drug services. Rather, the information compiled by Alcohol and Drug Action Teams (ADATs) and submitted to Information Services Division specifies the number of people who wait for less than a week, less than two weeks and so forth, for different types of intervention. Table 1 presents information on the length of time waited, by NHS board area, for (a) clients who have received prescribed drug intervention (which includes methadone maintenance programmes) and (b) clients who are still waiting for prescribed drug intervention for the period January – March 2006, the most recent period for which comprehensive data is available.

  Alcohol and Drug Action Teams send aggregated data to the Information Services Division (ISD) on a quarterly basis. Reports from this data may be viewed on:

  http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/wtpilot/reports.htm.

  Table 1a: Prescribed Drug Treatment – Number of Clients Seen, January to March 2006

  

Time Waited NHS Board
<7 d
8-14d
15-21d
22-28d
5-8 wks
9-12 wks
13-26 wks
27-52 wks
52+ wks
Total


Argyll and Clyde
37
1
2
1
2
1
0
0
0
44


Ayrshire/Arran
34
5
7
0
1
0
0
0
0
47


Borders
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1


Dumfries and Galloway
31
3
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
35


Fife
19
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
19


Forth Valley
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Greater Glasgow
85
13
7
1
6
0
1
0
0
113


Grampian
78
18
7
1
3
0
0
0
0
107


Highland
11
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11


Lanarkshire
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6


Lothian
63
9
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
74


Orkney
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland
7
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8


Tayside
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
15


Western Isles
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Scotland
383
53
24
3
14
2
1
0
0
480



  Table 1b: Prescribed Drug Treatment – Number of Clients Waiting at end of Quarter, January to March 2006

  

Time Waited NHS Board
<7 d
8-14d
15-21d
22-28d
5-8 wks
9-12 wks
13-26 wks
27-52 wks
52+ wks
Total


Argyll and Clyde
2
1
3
2
13
12
22
58
26
139


Ayrshire/Arran
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
4
4
12


Borders
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
5


Fife
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
7
9


Forth Valley
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Greater Glasgow
3
3
1
1
3
3
23
36
24
97


Grampian
1
0
0
0
2
0
4
5
0
12


Highland
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
2


Lanarkshire
0
1
0
0
1
0
2
9
10
23


Lothian
7
6
2
1
5
4
8
13
7
53


Orkney
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Tayside
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
2


Western Isles
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
3


Scotland
16
13
6
4
26
19
63
127
83
357



  Notes:

  1. Prescribed drug treatment includes detoxification, maintenance or reduction programmes, and is defined as the prescribing of a substitute drug, (e.g. methadone, lofexidine, subutex) for facilitating the complete cessation of the use of illicit drugs, controlling withdrawal symptoms or reducing illicit drug use. GP prescriptions are not included in this data.

  2. The waiting time is measured from the date a decision is made regarding what is the appropriate treatment for the client to the first date offered for beginning the treatment.

  3. Information is collected by ADAT rather than NHS board area. Lothian, Grampian and Tayside figures are therefore an aggregate of the Local Authority based ADATs in their area. Argyll and Clyde ADAT is still in operation; no information is available on the new Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board or Highland and Bute NHS Board.

  4. Forth Valley, Midlothian (Lothian) and Perth and Kinross (Tayside) Alcohol and Drug Action Teams were unable to provide information for January – March 2006 due to technical problems.

NHS Waiting Times

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many in-patients waited for (a) less than three months, (b) less than six months, (c) less than nine months, (d) less than 12 months and (e) 12 months or more for an NHS appointment in each year since 1998, broken down by speciality.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many in-patients waited for (a) less than three months, (b) less than six months, (c) less than nine months, (d) less than 12 months and (e) 12 months or more for an NHS appointment in each year since 1998, broken down by NHS board.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many in-patients waited for (a) less than three months, (b) less than six months, (c) less than nine months, (d) less than 12 months and (e) 12 months or more for an NHS appointment in each year since 1998, broken down by NHS hospital.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many out-patients waited for (a) less than three months, (b) less than six months, (c) less than nine months, (d) less than 12 months and (e) 12 months or more for an NHS appointment in each year since 1998, broken down by speciality.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many out-patients waited for (a) less than three months, (b) less than six months, (c) less than nine months, (d) less than 12 months and (e) 12 months or more for an NHS appointment in each year since 1998, broken down by NHS board.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many out-patients waited for (a) less than three months, (b) less than six months, (c) less than nine months, (d) less than 12 months and (e) 12 months or more for an NHS appointment in each year since 1998, broken down by NHS hospital.

Mr Andy Kerr: The very detailed information requested is being compiled by the Information Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland. Once the information becomes available, I shall write to the member and place a copy of my reply in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Olympic Games

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the establishment of a separate Scottish Olympic team formed part of the discussions at the First Minister’s sports summit at Stirling University.

Patricia Ferguson: No. Workshop sessions involving delegates at the Sports Summit discussed the key priorities for the on-going development of sport in Scotland in light of London’s successful bid to stage the 2012 Olympic Games and Glasgow’s bid to secure the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

  A full report of the Sports Summit will be made publicly available later this year.

Olympic Games

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister’s sports summit at Stirling University considered how to increase the participation of young Scots in sports.

Patricia Ferguson: Yes. Workshop sessions involving delegates at the Sports Summit discussed the key priorities for the on-going development of sport in Scotland in light of London’s successful bid to stage the 2012 Olympic Games and Glasgow’s bid to secure the 2014 Commonwealth Games. One of the areas under discussion was methods of increasing participation in sport.

  A full report of the Sports Summit will be made publicly available later this year.

Olympic Games

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister’s sports summit at Stirling University considered ways of increasing Scottish participation in the Olympic Games.

Patricia Ferguson: Yes. Workshop sessions involving delegates at the Sports Summit discussed the key priorities for the on-going development of sport in Scotland in light of London’s successful bid to stage the 2012 Olympic Games and Glasgow’s bid to secure the 2014 Commonwealth Games. One of the areas under discussion was methods of improving sporting performance both within Scotland and in general international competition, including the Olympic Games.

  A full report of the Sports Summit will be made publicly available later this year.

Planning

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27636 by Johann Lamont on 21 August 2006, how much of the funding for Planning Aid for Scotland in 2005-06 was (a) core and (b) project funding; what the purpose was of such funding, and what information it has on the breakdown between core and project funding for England and Wales.

Johann Lamont: The Executive provided a core grant of £105,870 for the financial year 2005-06. The funding assists Planning Aid for Scotland in providing advice and assistance on planning matters to individuals and communities across Scotland.

  In addition the Planning for People project was funded through a Sustainable Action Grant of £55,841 over the same period. The aim of Planning for People is to help local communities, through capacity building and awareness raising, to shape the future of their environment by engaging in the planning system.

  Funding to Planning Aid in England and Wales is not broken down into core and project funding.

Police

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what extra resources have been provided to Grampian Police to provide security for the royal family when at Balmoral in each of the last five years and what plans there are to provide extra resources in future.

Cathy Jamieson: : The policy of the UK Government and the Executive is not to comment on, or otherwise disclose details of, protection measures that are in place for royalty and other public figures as to do so could compromise their security and play into the hands of those who might wish to intimidate or cause them harm.

Public Transport

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made towards implementation of the Partnership Agreement commitment progressively to introduce a scheme of national bus, rail and ferry concessionary travel for young people, initially for all in full-time education or training.

Tavish Scott: We are currently finalising proposals for implementing the Executive’s Partnership Agreement commitment to progressively introduce a national scheme of concessionary travel for young people. I shall make an announcement shortly, giving full details of the scheme.

Roads

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the Minister for Transport’s visit to Elgin to receive a briefing on local traffic issues and the case for road improvements and whether he will outline his response to the views expressed to him by community representatives.

Tavish Scott: I was impressed by the thorough assessment of transport facts and figures which were presented during my visit to Elgin. I am keen for Transport Scotland to work closely with Moray Council on the analyses of their work to help inform future decisions on road improvements in the Elgin area.

Roads

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase grant aided expenditure to local authorities to allow them to adopt unadopted roads, pavements and footways.

Tavish Scott: It is for local authorities to decide how best to allocate their block grant and they may use their existing GAE allocation to adopt unadopted roads if this is considered to be a local priority. The Scottish Executive has no plans to provide additional grant aided expenditure (GAE) to local authorities for those purposes.

Roads

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many years at current spending rates it will take each local authority to repair and renew all (a) roads, (b) pavements and (c) other footways in its area in order to bring them up to an acceptable standard.

Tavish Scott: This information is not held centrally. However, the Scottish Executive is aware of the backlog of repairs and maintenance on the local road network and has provided local authorities with an additional £60 million in grant aided expenditure for each of 2006-07 and 2007-08 for road maintenance, winter maintenance and street lighting.

Smoking

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out into links between cessation of smoking and obesity.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has not commissioned any research on links between cessation of smoking and obesity and currently has no plans to do so.

Speed Limits

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there are any circumstances in which it is necessary to exceed the national speed limit to ensure safe overtaking.

Tavish Scott: The Highway Code across the UK, sets out the rules for the use of roads. The code states that the speed limit for a road is the absolute maximum, which must not be exceeded. It also makes it clear that exceeding the speed limit is an offence. The code does not indicate any circumstances in which it would be considered acceptable to exceed the speed limit.

Teachers

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers have undertaken specific training in dealing with racist incidents and addressing racial discrimination in the last five years.

Peter Peacock: This information is not held centrally.

  The four year BEd course for initial teacher education contains modules on discrimination and inclusion. The Executive currently allocates £13.5 million per annum to assist local authorities in providing relevant, high quality professional development opportunities for teachers. The subjects covered are for each local authority and school to decide but will take account of school, local and national priorities.

  The Executive has produced teaching resources to deliver anti-racist education and there are plans to produce more.

Waste Management

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the recycling rates for (a) domestic and (b) municipal waste were in each local authority area in each of the last five years, also showing year-on-year increases and national averages compared with national targets in each case.

Ross Finnie: Information on recycling rates for household waste and municipal waste is available from both the Scottish Executive’s Key Scottish Environmental Statistics 2006 website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/08/15095714/30 and the Scottish Environment Statistics Online website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Environment/seso/sesoSubSearch/Q/SID/191 .

  Data used in the Key Scottish Environmental Statistics 2006 and the Scottish Environment Statistics Online is obtained from Audit Scotland.

  The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) also produces data on municipal waste which is available on the SEPA website: http://www.sepa.org.uk/nws/data/data_digest.htm.

  We have an all-Scotland target of 25% recycling and composting of municipal waste by 2006 and 30% by 2008.

Water Charges

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in terms of the total amount collected via water charges, what the split will be between domestic and non-domestic water charge payers in the each of the next two years and what the equalivalent figures were in each of the last five years.

Rhona Brankin: The historical information sought may be found in the annual accounts published by Scottish Water and its predecessor organisations, for each of the financial years in question. Copies of the accounts may be found in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre the relevant Bib. numbers are:

  

Financial Year
North of Scotland Water Authority
East of Scotland Water Authority
West of Scotland Water Authority


2001-02
24607
24610
24612



  

Financial Year
Scottish Water


2002-03
28754


2003-04
33541


2004-05
36848


2005-06
39906



  Estimates for future years can be found on page 59 of Scottish Water’s Delivery Plan for 2006-10, which can be found on Scottish Water’s website at: http://www.scottishwater.co.uk.

Welfare

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it can take if it becomes aware of differences in the application of UK-wide benefits and services which disadvantage people in Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: UK welfare benefits and services are a reserved matter and their application is standardised across the UK. If there was evidence of differences in the application of benefits and services which disadvantage people in Scotland, there are mechanisms in place to allow appropriate dialogue to take place between the Scottish Executive and Whitehall departments.